Being so much stronger than I look has saved my life. A lot. There have been countless times when I was walking home from work late at and been attacked. And there have been times when I’ve seen others being hurt and have been able to help them. Those are the days when truly I’m thankful for my heritage.

Sometimes running is a better option than fighting. Having the speed to be able to make a quick getaway is really essential to surviving as a halfer on Earth.

Being able to feel the constant buzzing of everyone’s tech in my head is kind of a pain—literally—but it’s come in handy a time or two. I can usually feel the tech in someone’s body before I can hear or see them sneaking up on me. Being able to feel your enemy and get away before anything actually happens is pretty fantastic.

I won’t lie—I love being strong and fast. I love to push my body to its limit. Working out and doing martial arts is like breathing for me. I like to test myself and getting to push harder and faster than anyone I know is kind of cool when I take a step back from the whole everyone-wants-me-dead thing.

And using all of my abilities to teach others self-defense is worth everything. After working my shift at the diner, it’s really hard to go work a whole other job. Sometimes I’m exhausted, but when I’m there and teaching others how to keep themselves safe… It’s everything. Teaching isn’t really just a job for me. It’s something I HAVE to do.

I HATE BEING A HALFER.

I could really do without the whole glowing skin thing. Some days it’s hot outside and I don’t want to wear a hoodie, but I have to. I have to be able to cover every bit of visible skin that I can while running to find a safe place to hide whenever my emotions get out of control. Not to mention its embarrassing. It’s like my skin is part mood ring, part glow worm, and I’d really love not to have my emotions on display for everyone to see. I honestly don’t understand why it does that, but I’m hoping that there’s a pretty freaking fantastic reason. Otherwise, the only purpose it serves is to get me killed.

Being fast is awesome, but that means I have to have so much self-control. If I slip and move too fast or show that my reflexes are way better than average, then I’ll give myself away. I have always be aware of how fast I’m moving, and that’s exhausting.

The constant buzz of tech along my skin gets irritating after a while. I recently got an implant in my finger, and it’s making me bitchy. It feels like my finger is getting jabbed with a needle every minute or so, and after a long day, I feel like I want to snap. But everyone has implanted tech. It’s how we make calls and pay for groceries. I need it. Because if I don’t, then it’s a giant red flag that I’m not quite human. And that’s deadly for me. So, for now, I’m going to keep the implant. I just hope it doesn’t drive me crazy.

My abilities are a constant reminder of what I am and how hated I am on Earth. Not for anything I did, but just because of my DNA. It’d be nice to forget what I am for a few days, but as soon as I do that, I’ll move too fast or start glowing or bitch about the frequency of the tech around me. And when that happens, they’ll know what I am. If I want to live, no one can know.

And when I remember what I am, I remember who I am. I don’t remember my father at all. I have literally no memories of the man, so it feels crazy that I’m related to this super important Aunare man. It feels even crazier that if SpaceTech finds me… If I make one wrong step or do anything out of the ordinary… I could set off an intergalactic war. A responsibility that big shouldn’t be on anyone’s shoulders. But for something that huge to be on mine? It’s a big price to pay for the joy of being strong and fast. One that I’m sure will get me killed eventually.

From USA Today Bestselling Author Aileen ErinMaite Martinez has always yearned for more than waitressing in a greasy diner on the polluted ruins of planet Earth. Hiding her special abilities is a full-time job on its own, even with the government distracted by the mysterious alien race – the Aunare.When a SpaceTech officer gets handsy with her, she reacts without thinking. Breaking his nose might not have been her smartest move. Now she’s faced with a choice: serious jail time working in a chain gang on a volcano planet or join the corporate army to fight against the impending war with the Aunare. It’s really no choice at all.As with everything in her life, Maite quickly realizes that the war with the Aurnare isn’t what it seems. And Lorne, the Aunare prince, keeps popping up everywhere she goes. Being seen with him could get her in even deeper trouble with her commanders, but he’s the first person who sees through the wall she’s built around herself and she can’t bring herself to send him away.When the situation between SpaceTech and the Aunare escalates, Maite has a way to end the war before it even begins. There’s only one question: Can she stop the total annihilation of humanity without getting herself killed in the process?

Aileen Erin is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd–from Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek (TNG FTW), she reads Quenya and some Sindarin, and has a severe fascination with the supernatural. Aileen has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles, and spends her days doing her favorite things: reading books, creating worlds, and kicking ass.